| ′S Essay, Research Paper
The 1920 s, a period that saw dramatic changes in dress, was perhaps the first
modern decade of the twentieth century. The corseted woman of the previous decade,
with her hobble skirts and huge hats, looked as if she came from another world when
compared to the modern woman of the 1920 s. The result was extreme. Fashionable
1920 s female body evolved from the elaborately trimmed dress with its high waist
position and ankle length skirt at the beginning, to the simple, hardly decorated, shapeless
tube with a hip level waistline and a skirt barely covering the knees at the end of the
decade. The initiation of the new fashion boom all began with their change in social
aspects and attitudes along with their new way of life. The women s independence
movement of the 1920 s resulted in a dramatic change in dress as shown by the desire to
look youthful, boyish, flat-chested, and at the same time want her independence and
freedom.
The 1920 s was the new decade of the century. This was the Jazz Age, the decade of
the flappers. 1920 s opened with an explosion of color, wailing sounds, fast rhythms of
jazz, and energetic dancing. Everyone was into learning the latest dance, the Charleston.
It was attitude, a period of escapism, a youthful reaction against the dark and serious
clothes. These were the days to rebel. From 1920-1930, the world was one big party,
aptly described by the phrase The Roaring Twenties. (Presley,p3)
Women slowly began joining socialist party s with the influence of increasing local
socialist women s organizations and a national magazine of that day, Socialist Woman.
One major question, which arose to many women s minds was, once economic base of
sexual oppression was corrected, would equality follow? (Zinn,p45) That argument
became sharper as the women s movement of the early twentieth century grew, as women
spoke out more, organized, protested, paraded for the vote, and recognition as equals in
every sphere, including sexual relations and marriage. Women, conscious of women s
oppression and wanting to do something about it, were going to college and becoming
aware of themselves not just housewives. Like Katie Richards O Hare said, Socialism is
needed to restore the home. (Zinn, p47)
Tuesday, November 2, 1920, was the most unusual Election Day in American history.
On August 10, the nineteenth amendment to the United States Constitution had become
law. This enactment granted American women the right to vote on an equal basis with
men. This is where it all began. At one point in the 1920 s, women were regarded as
inferior to men. According to the social standards of time, a woman s place was in a
home. Her life was pretty clear: marry, bear children, raise children, keep house, and stay
clear of husband s business work. After many years, long struggles for women suffrage
had reached its inevitable end. At last, in voting booths, women were full-fledged citizens
on a par with men. The ballot was still only one step towards full emancipation of
American women.
In the beginning, women were discriminated against in jobs and in professions. Many
places of employment were closed to females, including universities and colleges. As time
went by, women slowly gained their independence and freedom, even if they were
confined to certain areas. If a women accepted outside work it had to be a school teacher,
librarian, typist, or sales clerk; all respectable jobs fit for a lady. The so called lower
class women worked in factories or as a seamstress. There were very few women doctors
and lawyers. Some women achieved fame and success on stage, as writers, artists, concert
musicians, or operatic stars. Eventually women were accepted for all work.
The male detractors did not then realize it, but social structure of the United States
was changing drastically, even more than it had during the war. Transformation in
costume linked to various consequences of war, and further changed in people s way of
life, with new attitudes of mind and new modes of production. The transform of the social
scene resulted in women contributing to industrial war effort, and after the war taking on
an ever widening range of work, gaining civil and economic rights, and playing a greater
role outside their homes. Therefore, the 1920-1929 costume adapted to suit this new way
of life.
For the so-called new woman, leading her freer life, training to work, enjoying
sports, and dancing; the clothes had to be functional, light, and comfortable. The new style
ignored the waist and the breast, shortened the skirt, cropped the hair, and got rid of the
corset for the suspender belt. The clothes became simpler like men s; lace was no longer
popular, embroidery simple, hat trimmings dwindled, and the flowers and feathers
disappeared. The new ideal was androgen, girls striving to look as much like boys as
possible. This new fad awaited the men returning from war.
During the 1920 s, bodies were finally released from clothing, which pretty much
controlled them. The theorem of clothing had drastically changed for the first time in 600
years.(Squire,p169) For the first time in over a century women were able to move and
breathe freely. Hems rose gradually to the knee, legs were encased in flesh-colored silk
stockings, and arms were bare. In July, 1920, a fashion writer reported in the New York
Times that the american womans has lifted her skirts far beyond any modest
limitation. (Allen,p88) For the first time in history, women s body came into public view
in the Miss. America Pageant in 1921 at Atlantic City.(Petrow,Video) In 1924, something
called flattener came out and was intended to abolish the bust. Dresses became tubular
and low waisted, there were no curves of the body shown which denied all femininity.
Black and white were the most popular colors of the decade. In 1925, hemlines were the
shortest in history.(Herald,p62) In 1926 designers were making garments suitable for both
men and women; which had to be simple, sporty, comfortable, and appropriate for both
sexes.(Beard,p2)
Some of the major reasons as to why women were so into changing their dress and
getting into the major fads, like smoking and drinking, was because of Hollywood stars
and big designers like Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli.(Laver,p235) These two
women were part of the whole artistic movement of that time. Schiaparelli introduced
good working class clothes into polite society. Her simple clothes had an elegance which
made everyone admire and copy them. Coco Chanel was known for her classic cardigan
style suit; and Irene Castle popularized the bobbed hair style accompanying the cloche
hat. The Hollywood big silver screen played a big role model as to how women dressed
also. The women looked up to their role models like Clara Bow, the so-called It girl and
Joan Crawford. In magazines they had the fashionable Gibson Girl all dressed up with
the latest style. The flappers too were the heroine of the decade, always in style with the
short skirt, turned-down hose, and rouged knees; sort of like the like the Gibson Girl.
The cutting of women s hair was the most drastic action of rebellion against the state
of subjection. The bob, which in most cases cropped close to the head like a man s,
became extremely popular and by 1924 was in full fashion. Some women enhanced the
style with the popular cloche hat, which tightly fitted to the bobbed head. Even shorter
hair in the shingle style, which could be adapted to any shape of the head, rivaled the bob.
The early form of the shingle was short and exposed to the hair line at the back of the
neck. In 1925, the common hair was being cut to follow the shape of the head with
perhaps a slight fringe and soft waves at the sides. In 1926 and 1927, the bobbed hair cut
and shingle were not enough; what appeared was the extremely short boyish style known
as the eton crop. The hair was straightened and cut well above the ears, which was later
modified by longer pieces curled forward onto the cheeks.
By those days between the new masculine attitudes, clothing, and hair cuts, the only
way to distinguish a young women from a schoolboy was the rouged lips and penciled
eyebrows. The vogue of rouge and lipstick in 1920 alarmed parents of the younger
generation; but those who thought it was immoral were soon applying it regularly and
made no effort to disguise the fact. The manufacturers of cosmetics and the owners of
beauty shops rose. The big characteristics of the 1920 s makeup fad was the use of pale
powder, cream rouge, blush for circles on the cheeks which looked like apples, and the
brows were plucked and penciled in thin arches.(Retro Magazine,p1) Lips were painted
very red, emphasizing the cupid s bow of the upper lip, and de-emphasizing the width of
the lower lip, creating a rosebud pout.
This was the dream period, as one lady said everyone looked beautiful.
(Petrow,Video) Women came into the public eye, which shocked them all with their
youthful, boyish looks. There was a change in everything; from their clothes, to make-up,
to hair, and even their freedom and independence. The women in those days fought hard
to get what they wanted, and if they did not get it, the would not give up; they were
tough. They had the attitudes of the men. Women got into sports and working, doing what
they only dreamed for. They were having fun. These were the good old days, it was the
decade not to have missed.
FASHIONS OF THE 1920 S
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